Welcome back, college football fans and DFS players alike! How’d you do with your Week 1 DFS CFB lineups? In our playbooks for college football’s first weekend of action included some elite value plays (Jonathan Nance), the necessary studs (Chuba Hubbard) and a few contrarian picks as well. It’s time now to look towards the Saturday main slate of games kicking off at 12 pm ET. 

Before we get into any specific players and pricing, it’s imperative to understand how DraftKings and FanDuel differentiated their main slates this week. On DK, per usual, there are 11 games that span the early and late afternoon kickoffs and lineup construction is pretty straightforward there. On FD, however, the site includes 16 total games on its main slate that stretch all day long and include noon ET kickoffs and 7:30 pm ET kickoffs alike. Your lineups on that site will obviously look very different than on DK because you’ll have to get exposure to some high-powered offenses in action at night - like Alabama, Oregon, Texas and UCF. 

For the reasons above, this playbook for the Saturday main slate will focus mainly on the DraftKings 11-game slate. We will have a night slate playbook up too that will cover the other games on FanDuel’s main slate and the DK night slate as well. We’ll break down a few of the top plays at each position by taking into account the price differentials, individual matchups, depth charts and point spreads. 

Now, let’s dive into the specific players that are worth rostering in both cash game and tournament lineups for this Week 2 Saturday afternoon main slate!

 

QUARTERBACKS

Kelly Bryant - Missouri ($7,700 DK / $9,900 FD)

We didn’t know exactly what to expect from Bryant heading into Week 1 in what was his first game as Missouri’s quarterback - but we now know that he has the freedom to run this offense both through the air and on the ground. The Clemson-transfer had 48 pass attempts and ran it 11 more times in last weekend’s loss to Wyoming and it’s clear the Mizzou coaching staff will allow him to make plays. The fact that Missouri’s defense allowed Wyoming to score 37 points last week tells us that Bryant will need to scoring often and throwing/running it a lot each game to account for the porous defense behind him. As the starter for Clemson in 2017, Bryant had over 2,800 passing yards and 600 rushing yards with 24 total touchdowns as he led the Tigers to a national title appearance. Vegas is calling for this one to be a one-score game and Bryant could easily surpass his 440 total yards and two passing scores from Week 1.  

Adrian Martinez - Nebraska ($7,000 DK / $9,000 FD)

Martinez had a 2019 debut to forget as he threw for only 178 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and just six rushing yards. This is a very abnormal stat line for the dual-threat QB, though, and we can take advantage of his low public perception right now. People will certainly have a knee-jerk reaction and avoid him in cash games and GPP’s because of his less-than-stellar Week 1 - plus he’s very affordable on both sites at salaries that may be the lowest we see him for the rest of the season. Martinez had over 2,600 passing yards and 600 rushing yards last season with 25 total touchdowns and he’ll face a Colorado defense that just gave up 31 points to Colorado State last week. 

Josh Jackson - Maryland ($6,500 DK / $8,300 FD)

In case you missed it, Maryland’s offense put up 79 points last week and Jackson led the charge with four passing touchdowns. Yes, this was against an FCS opponent in Howard - but there’s no denying a QB who was this efficient (62.5% completion rate and four TDs on 24 attempts) and productive (245 yards on 15 completions) in his first game with a new team. Howard is definitely an easier matchup than Syracuse will be, but we saw other top QBs struggle against inferior opponents in Week 1 and it’s a good sign that Jackson was as good as he was. The Virginia Tech transfer accounted for 3,315 total yards and 26 touchdowns in his last full season as a starter in 2017 and he has the talent to put solid numbers week-in and week-out. 

Brandon Peters - Illinois ($6,400 DK Only)

If you’re looking for a cheaper, more contrarian, QB option on DK this week - Peters could be your man with a favorable matchup at an affordable price for your Super-Flex spot. Peters had four total touchdowns in the Week 1 win over Akron and he’ll face a Connecticut defense that just gave up 21 points to Wagner last weekend. The Michigan transfer won Illinois’ starting job this summer and he looked impressive in his 2019 debut against an Akron defense that was actually better than UConn’s a year ago. Plus, the Fighting Illini backfield is currently banged up and it could force Peters to make more plays both through the air and on the ground (he ran for 36 yards and a score on six carries last week). 

Also Consider:

Justin Fields - Ohio State ($8,900 DK / $10,400 FD)

Elijah Sindelar - Purdue ($7,500 DK / $9,500 FD)

Steven Montez - Colorado ($7,300 DK / $9,600 FD)

 

RUNNING BACKS

Travis Etienne - Clemson ($9,400 DK / $10,200 FD)

Etienne is the most expensive RB on both sites and although he owns the highest DFS ceiling of any back on the slate, his high price tag makes him more of a GPP play and tough to roster in cash games. Last week, Clemson’s lead back 205 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries in an easy matchup with Georgia Tech. He’s always a threat to rip off one of those games in any given week but yards may be tougher to come by against a Texas A&M rush defense that was second in the country last year. Still, though, with how good this Clemson offense is and Etienne being the clear No. 1 rushing option - it’s hard to deny the potential volume and touchdown opportunities that should be there. People may avoid Etienne purely based on his high price tag and tough matchup, but this makes him an attractive tournament RB because he’s a threat to put up 40 DFS points any time he’s healthy. 

Alex Fontenot - Colorado ($6,300 DK / $9,500 FD)

We didn’t really know what to expect from Fontenot last week as he took over as Colorado’s lead ball carrier in place of the departed Travon McMillian - but he proved he can handle the load. The redshirt sophomore had 125 rushing yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns in his first collegiate start and he looked dynamic in the Buffaloes’ Week 1 victory. Nebraska’s defense allowed nearly 200 rushing yards per game last season and they just gave up 21 points to South Alabama a week ago. This game should be one of the more high-scoring matchups on this slate and if Colorado is playing with the lead - Fontenot should see close to 20 touches again with goal-line upside. 

Ke’Shawn Vaughn - Vanderbilt ($6,100 DK / $8,700 FD)

Vaughn is one of the best running backs in the SEC but he unfortunately had a tough matchup to start the season. Against Georgia’s defense in Week 1, he managed 74 rushing yards on 15 carries with no scores - which is actually better than most expected. Vaughn racked up over 1,200 yards last year and he’s the workhorse back in Vandy’s backfield this season. He’ll have a much easier matchup against Purdue this week and could be a value on both sites - making him a very attractive cash play. Purdue’s defense was torched by Nevada last weekend and we could see Vaughn get 20 carries and over 100 yards with a touchdown or two. 

If you’re playing on DK, Ford should be in your player pool at the RB position because of his very high upside. Ford is listed as a RB on DraftKings, but he’ll be the starting slot receiver this week and moving forward in the South Florida offense. He could go low-owned because he didn’t play in Week 1 but he’s slated to start and people may not consider him because of his non-stat line so far. Ford could easily see a ton of targets from the slot and has some PPR upside on DK.

Also Consider:

Mekhi Sargent - Iowa ($6,200 DK / $9,900 FD)

Tyler Badie - Missouri ($5,900 DK / $8,400 FD)
Jordan Mason - Georgia Tech ($4,500 DK Only)

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

Rondale Moore - Purdue ($8,100 DK / $10,000 FD)

As just a sophomore, Moore is already one of the best receivers in college football and that talent was on full display in Week 1. Against Nevada, Moore caught 11 of his 14 targets for 124 yards and a touchdown. He’s clearly a main focus of Purdue’s offensive gameplan and he’s on pace to best his freshman year numbers of 114 catches, 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. This matchup against Vanderblt should be one of the higher-scoring games on this slate and Moore’s DFS floor remains fairly high with how often he’s being targeted. The top tier at WR this weekend is pretty small as Moore and Colorado’s Laviska Shenault are the clear pay-up options. Moore seems safe in all formats with a ceiling and floor that are as high as any receiver. 

Tee Higgins - Clemson ($7,300 DK / $9,700 FD)

The Clemons receiving corps is pretty top-heavy right now with Higgins and Justyn Ross as Trevor Lawrence’s clear top targets in the passing game. The two wideouts are separated by only $100 on DK and each can return a ton of value at depressed price tags. Higgins, though, seems to have emerged as Lawrence’s go-to option. In Week 1, Higgins caught four of his eight targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. Ross, meanwhile, was held in check with three catches for just 13 total yards. Higgins is the bigger-bodied receiver compared to Ross and Lawrence should continue to target him in the red-zone as his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame gives him a mismatch against the Texas A&M corners. 

Jonathan Nance - Missouri ($5,700 DK / $8,500 FD)

Nance was last week’s value play du jour when he was just $3,300 on DK and although his price has since risen, he’s still a nice bargain considering his role in Missouri’s receiving corps. The Arkansas transfer received some preseason buzz as he quickly became one of Kelly Bryant’s favored targets in the passing game and he did not disappoint in Week 1. Nance only had three catches for 63 yards but two of those receptions went for touchdowns. He was actually the only Mizzou receiver to have touchdown catches as it’s clear he’s the preferred red zone option for Bryant right now. Jonathan Johnson may have led the team in targets and catches last week, but it’s hard to ignore Nance’s two scores - especially at a DK price that’s cheaper than Johnson’s. By next week, we could see his salary climb even higher with a second straight productive game. 

JD Spielman - Nebraska ($4,700 DK / $8,500 FD)

This is the classic case of price differential among DFS sites. Spielman is criminally mispriced on DK with a sub-5k salary while his FD price tag more accurately reflects the production he can provide. He’s the No. 1 receiver in Nebraska’s offense and his Week 1 production really doesn’t represent what he can do in any matchup. He managed just two catches for 36 yards last week but he did have a punt return TD. Still, though, his Week 1 stat line was worse than any he had last year and he’s a player who can easily rack up double-digit catches and over 100 receiving yards any time he’s on the field. The Nebraska offense - and specifically QB Adrian Martinez - should bounce back in a matchup against a Colorado defense that allowed a ton of points to Colorado State last week. On DK, Spielman should be pretty chalky and this may be his lowest salary all season. 

T.J. Simmons - West Virginia ($4,400 DK / $6,500 FD) 

There is some value to be had in this West Virginia receiving corps. The Mountaineers will likely be trailing for much of their matchup against Missouri and the WRs should all see a ton of targets in the second half to keep pace with Mizzou’s offense. Simmons and Tevin Bush are both the same price on DK and both are in play this week - but we’re leaning towards Simmons. He had five catches for 58 yards last weekend and could provide nice value in your cash lineups at such a cheap price tag. 

Also Consider:

Laviska Shenault - Colorado ($8,000 DK / $9,600 FD)

Jonathan Johnson - Missouri ($6,000 DK / $7,900 FD)

Kalija Lipscomb - Vanderbilt ($5,800 DK / $7,800 FD)

Ricky Smalling - Illinois ($4,000 DK Only)

 

Example Lineup on DraftKings:

QB: Kelly Bryant - Missouri ($7,700)

RB: Ke’Shawn Vaughn - Vanderbilt ($6,100)

RB: Alex Fontenot - Colorado ($6,300)

WR: JD Spielman - Nebraska ($4,700)

WR: Rondale Moore - Purdue ($8,100)

WR: T.J. Simmons - West Virginia ($4,400)

FLEX: Jonathan Nance - Missouri ($5,700)

S-FLEX: Adrian Martinez - Nebraska ($7,000